Angel After the Apocalypse
by adelaide97
Summary: A new slayer, Lily, has moved into the city of Los Angeles. Buffy's dying wish was that Lily find Angel and make sure he's okay, but after six years of living in solitude mourning the death of his friends, can she turn Angel back into a hero?
1. Lily

Lily sat at the bar and ordered her second drink. The bartender hesitated before serving her, but did not ask for I.D. Most bars in Los Angeles didn't bother. If you tipped well enough, they'd serve you anything. For instance, the man on her right was enjoying a nice mug of blood. The fellow to her left who had two large horns sprouting from his forehead was drinking something green that Lily wasn't convinced to be alcohol. Occupational hazard, seeing unpleasant things being consumed while visiting a demon bar.

"I'll let you have this one on the house if you leave." The bartender pleaded. Lily sighed, tossing her blonde hair off of her shoulder.

"Why is it that I'm always being rushed out of places like this?" She asked, her voiced mocking disappointment. The bar-keep looked around, watching customers get leave in fear of the girl. "Just tell me what I need to know."

"Anything." He promised quickly.

"I'm looking for a vampire. One with a soul." The beast next to her let out a callous laugh, throwing his horned head back. "Something funny?" Lily asked, turning to him.

"You're crazy looking for Angel. That traitor was wiped out by the Wolfram and Hart. Good riddance." He said, beginning to laugh, and Lily joined in with his chaotic laughter. People started to stare.

"Well" Lily said, her laugher cut short as she grabbed the demon's neck and slammed it into the bar. "Seeing as how I'm crazy, maybe I'll just have to break your neck." She said, pressing his face down onto the glass countertop.

"I've heard he's alive!" The bartender shouted. Lily looked up at him. "He…he's not the same as he used to be."

"That's not what I'm looking for. I want to know where he is." She said, her hostage still whimpering beneath her hold. The bartender looked nervous, his breaths shallow.

"I…Downtown. It's the rough part of downtown. In one of the old warehouses. Bunch of vampires used to stay there till he moved in. I don't know which building, but…somewhere." Lily released her prisoner.

"Thanks for the tip." She said, tossing a ten dollar bill onto the counter. She left the seedy bar in search of her Champion.

There were many abandoned buildings in downtown. Lily found abandoned nests in every single one. She would stand silent in each building, begging for some kind of sound of movement. Even if it wasn't the vampire she sought, she could possibly fid one who had information she could use.

Lily was on her fourth building. She was on the second floor, and she paused mid step. She looked up, straining her ears. She could hear something. A scratching, coming from above her. She looked around the room and found a staircase, and decided to follow this sound, praying it wasn't a just a rat again. Lily could hear the scratching even louder on the third floor. This was no rat. She walked through a threshold, and she saw a figure hunched over in the corner of the room. It was the source of the scratching. Lily took out her flashlight, and shined it on the walls.

It was etched over every inch of the room, from the top of the walls to the bottom, corner to corner. It was the work of a madman. Lily realized the scratching had stopped. She flashed the light where the figure had been hunched over. It was gone. Lily heard something shuffle behind her.

"Get out." Someone hissed behind her. Lily tucked herself in, and rolled away from whatever was behind her. "You need to leave." It demanded. Lily shone her light. It was him.

"Angel?" She asked, timidly. It was silent. The man was ragged, a thick, dark coat encased him, the bottoms of his pants shredded, the coat had burn marks and deep gashes. His hair had grown out, it covered his eyes; he looked just like a homeless man. "Angel, Buffy sent me-"

"Buffy?" He asked, his eyes twitched around the room.

"Oh…no, she's not here…three years ago…She…died." Lily said. She thought he would have heard by now.

"Again? Really?" He asked. Lily nodded.

"She's really dead this time. Willow's not bringing her back." His eye twitched a bit more, then he moved very suddenly. Lily's body tensed up, but he went right by her. The scratching started up again. Lily walked over to where he was sitting. Scratched freshly into the wall was _**BUFFY**_. The markings suddenly made sense. Cordelia, Fred, Wesley, Gunn, Illyeria. These were all of Angel's fallen friends who lost their lives during one apocalypse or another. "Angel…Buffy told me to come and find you." He kept carving names. "She wanted me to make sure you were alright. And if you weren't…." Lily was sure he was _not _okay. Buffy had asked her to take care of Angel, look after him. Lily was still worried he was going to turn around and bite her neck.

"Why?" He asked sharply.

"She felt really bad about abandoning you after you started to work with Wolfram and Hart…She wanted me to see if things were okay…" Lily was starting to worry that Angel was too far gone. After all, it had been six years that Angel had been separated from society.

"Why now?" Angel demanded, still not looking up from his work.

"I…well, I had to track someone else down, before you…" Angel stopped his work.

"Spike?" Lily could hear his teeth clench as his forced out that name.

"Buffy wanted to make sure he hadn't…gone evil again. If he had…"

"You were going to kill him? You're supposed to kill me too. If I'm evil that is." Angel said, and began carving again.

"That's true." Lily said. "But I don't think you're evil Angel. I think you're hurt, and you've been in pain for a while…but it's time to stop." She said firmly. Angel continued to carve. "This is nothing but a pathetic memorial to your fallen friends." Angel threw the knife he was working with at the adjacent wall. He stood quickly and faced Lily. Her breath caught.

"You have no idea what this is. You don't know about them, and you have no idea about my pain." He said, ferocious. Lily clutched the stake in her pocket.

"If you cared at all about your friends who gave up their lives to fight, then you wouldn't be held up in this building, sadly carving their names in the wall. What would Buffy think?"

"It doesn't matter what Buffy thinks. She's dead. She died a long time ago." Angel said darkly. Lily understood.

"She didn't abandon you Angel. We had no idea about the battle between you and Wolfram and Hart, not until I found Spike…" As soon as she said the name, Angel's head snapped up, and his eyes met hers. She could see them burning through his mops of hair. "He…told me about it. Buffy had no idea. We thought you were still running the firm. I was really supposed to try and talk you into leaving, as her dying wish…" Angel was clenching his teeth in anger. "I'm really sorry about all that's happened to you. You were a great hero…but I guess 'were' says it all." Lily said, lowering her head. "I wanted to try and convince you to come back into the fight. We could use you back on our side, you know. You make a better fighter than a…" Lily glanced around the room," artist." She pulled out a small piece of paper from her coat pocket. "I'm staying in L.A. In case you haven't noticed, things have gotten pretty bad around here. Look me up if you ever decide to…be sane again." Angel took the paper from her. She met his steel glare once more. It sent chills down her back. She turned away from him, and began to walk towards the window.

Always loving a good exit, Lily leapt from the third story window, landing on the fire escape on the second floor. From there, she dropped back down to the cement.

"What a waste of potential." Lily sighed. She had hoped to find Angel in a more functional state. "Maybe if he realizes how dangerous it is out here…" Lily mumbled to herself.

"Looking for danger sweetie? I've got some right here for yah." Someone grumbled from behind her. Lily rolled her eyes.

"I'm sure you're tough and all, but trust me, you don't wanna fight with me…" She said, turning around expecting to see some drunk loser. She was wrong. "I know you." She said, looking at the horned demon. "From the bar, right? Good times, right? Nice drinks, nice face smashing…here for another round?" Lily quipped. The demon laughed. "Laughing is what got you in trouble the first time, big guy." Lily said, crossing her arms.

"Well, sweetheart, it's not just you against me, this time." He sneered. Lily sighed, as five more demons wearing large black cloaks, almost identical to this one, crept from the shadows.

"You brought your brothers to fight for you? Lame." Lily said, backing up a bit. She had no weapons.

"Actually," said a husky voice, "we're his sisters." The five demons then proceeded to pull out swords.

"Great. Bitches with swords. What an awesome night." Lily muttered.

"Kill her!" Their brother demanded. The sisters charged at Lily.

She was lucky enough to grab the first wrist she could get to, crack her wrist, and steal her sword. Now, all Lily had to do was tire them out…or so she thought. It seemed as if every time they swung at her, it was with more force, and more power.

Lily was panting. They were a lot tougher than their brother, who stood behind, laughing. The sister she had stolen the sword from suddenly ran up from behind her, swinging a large metal pipe which cracked right into Lily's shoulder. She screamed out in pain, falling to the ground. She rolled quickly away from the sisters. It had been her left shoulder, and she held the sword tightly in her right hand. Lily got up, ran towards the closed dumpster, and jumped on. The demons followed her, and when they got close enough, Lily slipped back behind the dumpster, braced herself against the building, and kicked the large metal trash receptacle as hard as she could. It went flying forward, knocking over the sisters like pins in bowling.

Lily sighed in relief, about to go after the brother, when suddenly, the dumpster came flying back at her. She was shocked, and frozen in place. Something crashed into Lily's left side. She was sure it was the dumpster it hurt so much. She knew she wasn't dead when the pain didn't go away.

"Ahhh….shit." She grimaced, trying to move. The sword in her right hand was pulled away from her. She jerked up, ready to fight for her life. "I…Angel?" There was a large figure standing between her and the oncoming demons.

"Stay there." He snapped. The five demons jumped. Angel immediately slashed one's head clear off it's neck. He impaled another. Lily jumped up, and grabbed one of the fallen sister's swords. "I told you to stay!" Angel yelled, as she fought with one sister.

"I don't listen very well. Buffy said it was both refreshing, and annoying," Lily said, as she managed to kick the demon's sword away from her, then dig her own sword deep into it's gut. It fell over heavily.

"Duck!" Angel yelled, and Lily crouched down. Angel threw his sword right over her head, Lily heard it impale whatever was behind her.

"Sometimes I can listen though, see?" Lily asked, standing up. She turned to the last demon standing. The brother. He looked horrified. More terrified of what was now his fate. "This is why you don't let sisters fight your battles. You're supposed to stick up for them." Lily scolded. He turned and began to run. Something flew right by Lily's ear, and the demon dropped. She looked back to Angel who lowered his arm. "Jeez. Thanks for the warning." Lily shuddered.

"Sometimes you don't listen, sometimes I don't talk." He said, and started to walk back towards the building.

"You're going back in?" Lily asked. "I mean, after that heroic effort, running into hiding is a little…well…disappointing."

"It's no trouble, really. You're welcome. It was no problem saving your sorry ass from monsters." Angel said, turning back to face her. Lily sighed.

"Thank you. For the huge save, I'd probably be dead if you hadn't swooped in, blah blah blah." Lily said. "Does this mean you're back?" She asked, hopeful.

"This means, I didn't let you die." He said, and he went back into his cave.


	2. A Lost Cause?

Lily was wrapped up in her blankets. Her bedroom window curtains were open, and the morning sunlight warmed her bed. She sighed, opening her eyes. Lily did not feel calm and peaceful, as one should when waking up, basked in sunlight. She groaned when she shifted, her should still in pain from the night before. She sat up, using her right arm only for support. She pulled aside her shirt, and examined her shoulder. There was a deep purple bruise, about six inches wide, and three inches across. She frowned. That stupid demon had really packed a punch, and Angel crashing into her hadn't helped the matter much. She took in a deep breath, and held it. She tried to calm herself down. The thought of Angel was very aggravating. How could he be so selfish and hide in that damn warehouse? She wouldn't let Buffy down though. Lily would make sure she did all she could to get Angel back on his feet.

Lily pulled herself out of bed. It was 1 in the afternoon, and she knew she had to call Giles. She went to her kitchen and grabbed her cell phone from the charger. She listened to the ringer.

"'Ello?" Said the calm, British voice.

"Giles? It's Lily-"

"Lily!" He perked up, no longer calm. "How is it going in Los Angeles? Are you alright?"

"Just fine." She lied.

"Did you find him?" Giles asked, somberly.

"I did…"

"He's not…"

"No, he's not evil. Tell Xander he owes me ten dollars, and you own me fifteen." Giles chuckled. "He is a little…off."

"Off? How so? In a dangerous way?"

"No…but he's isolated himself. He sits in his building all day, carving out the names of his dead friends…it's actually a bit more insane than just 'off'. But I doubt he's dangerous…he actually helped me out of a fight I would have probably lost."

"Are you hurt?" Giles asked. Lily was curious about the past between Angel and Giles. Giles wasn't a man for affection, but he was very chilly when it came to the subject of Angel. Even now as Lily told Giles that Angel wasn't evil, he didn't seem all that pleased.

"I'm fine. Just a little bruised."

"Maybe you should just come back with us. If Angel is a lost cause, then there's no use putting you or anyone else in danger trying to save him." Lily knew Giles didn't want her to go in the first place, but she had promised Buffy, something she knew he had to understand.

"He's not a lost cause." She said, defensively. "Besides, if he doesn't look out for these poor people, who will?"

Lily hated demon bars. They were always run down, had terrible smells, and the company was not the kind she liked to keep. But she, just like any other slayer, knew that the best way to find contacts were in bars. People talked here, and it was in her best interest to listen.

She had heard about this place from a little troll who said she came here for the singing. The troll also mentioned it was a very human friendly place, there was this mystical barrier that kept demons from fighting.

Lily turned the corner down a back alley, and found the place. There was a small unlit sign that said "Paradiso" over a small basement entrance. If you weren't looking for it, you wouldn't give it another look. Lily went down the steps, and pushed open the door.

"Dear God…" Lily muttered as she walked in. She took out the paper with the address on it to make sure it was right. Lily was sure she had just walked into some kind of LA underground, very posh night club. The lighting was soft, there was a heavy beat going through the entire place. The walls were painted a deep purple color, accented by lime green and light purple trim and in curtains that gathered on the walls.

Lily was right at the bar, but there was a small set of stairs that led down to a small dance floor which had about 20 table settings. There was also a stage. The place in general was pretty crowded, but it was mostly down by the stage. Lily made her way to the bar.

"What can I get yah, miss?" The bartender asked. He smiled, and Lily was almost sure he was human.

"I'll take a double shot of vodka-"

"Make that top shelf!" A voice cut in. Lily watched a very green man walk behind the bar, pick out a pricey looking vodka, and fill the shot glass. "On the house." He said with a wink.

"You must be Lorne." Lily said. He pushed the drink her way. She downed the shot quickly, barely tasting it.

"Yes I am. How can I help you?" He asked, an eyebrow raised. "You've come here looking for me, right?"

"I have. You're an empath, aren't you?" Lily asked, leaving off the 'demon' part.

"That I am, sugar." He said happily. "And you my dear have to be a Slayer. Am I right?" Lily was not very impressed. Most demons could sense she was.

"I am." She said. "I've heard lots about you Lorne. You're a pretty big hero." Lily said.

"That's all speculation, I suppose." He said, refilling her drink.

"What brought you back to L.A?" She questioned.

"It's the place I've done the most good. After things….quieted down a bit, I wanted to come back. This is the business I love best."

"Better than saving the world?"

"It's a little less high pressure." He said. Lily downed yet another double shot. "Listen Lillian, you're a smart girl, and I'm a smart demon. We both know why you're here. So, what can I do for you?" He asked, putting the bottle of alcohol he was holding away.

"I'm not looking for a demon fighter. I've just heard…I've heard you've got all the contacts. I have none. I was just hoping you'd help me keep an ear to the ground. Lord knows Angel's no help-" Lorne winced at the name. Lily tried to press away from that. "I want to help this town. Bring it back to 100% instead of the 62% it's barely functioning at. Maybe with some of your help, I could make the streets at night a little safer. Maybe this bar could become a little more human-friendly?"

"Those were the days…Caritas was a hot spot for demons and humans. With my sanctuary spell, it was a safe, and all around hip place to be…" Lorne was staring off, reminiscing. "I'll keep ears open buttercup. Anything I hear on any up and coming uglies, you'll be the first to know." He said, with a grin. Lily slipped him a small card with her information on it.

"This means a lot to me. You're very brave." She commended him.

Fighting for good in L.A had become a very hard sport. Humans roamed freely during the day, but after dark, the streets belonged to the demons. After the attack on Wolfram and Hart, the L.A branch had fallen…for a while. Now they were back, and apparently badder than ever. Lily knew it was a matter of time before she had to pay them a visit as well. It was time to show them that there was a new player in town, one that was pretty hell bent on keeping the world safe. She was sure that they knew about her even before she set foot off her plane, but introducing herself in person always made more of an impression.

"You should stay for a while, maybe sing a tune. We have Karaoke hour every other hour!" Lorne tried to persuade her.

"Sorry, I don't sing in public." Lily laid down a crisp $50 dollar bill on the counter. "Thanks for the drinks." She said. Lorne started to refuse, but she left before he could give it back to her. She was glad to have one more ally on her side.

Lily woke up at nine the next morning. She checked her shoulder, and the bruise had shrunk a considerable amount. She showered quickly, and she left her house by ten.

"I'll take three pints of pigs blood." Lily said to the butcher. He gave her a nervous glance.

"Pigs blood…right." He said, and disappeared into the back of his shop. He had the three pints, and put them on the counter. "$15." He mumbled.

"That's all? Wow…it's cheap in L.A." Lily said, more to herself as she dug out her wallet.

"It could be cheaper, if you want." The butcher said, very nervous. Apparently, he knew what buying pigs blood meant.

"No…it's fine." Lily said, sliding him even change. She grabbed the brown bag and left the shop quickly.

Lily entered the warehouse, and was taken back by what she saw on the walls, the room now lit with sunlight. She hadn't realized the other night that apparently, Angel have carved the names of his friends on this floor as well, on ever wall. As she climbed the stairs, the names were written in the stair well. She was curious whether other buildings might also have this code tagged on their walls.

Lily found herself on the fourth floor. She went searching through the rooms, until she came upon a room that was closed off to the sunlight. She guaranteed that was where Angel was hiding. She opened the door slowly.

"I thought I told you not to come back." Angel grumbled. He was lying on the hard ground.

"No, I don't think you ever actually said that." Lily said, thinking back.

"Well, I'm saying it now. Leave. And don't come back." He turned over, facing the wall.

"I brought you some blood." Lily said, walking over and placing the brown bag next to him. "But…I guess you have enough of that." Lily noticed that where Angel was laying, there was a pool of blood. His blood. "What happened?" She asked kneeling down next to him.

"It's fine. Leave." He demanded.

"Maybe I should look at it…." Lily peered over him, and saw a deep cut through his coat, the fabric soaked with blood. Angel got up, Lily fell backwards.

"It's healed. The bleeding was yesterday. Now. Get out. Take your blood with you." He said, glaring at the bag.

"Why, so you can suck on rats some more?" Lily asked, now noticing the pile of dead rodents in the corner. She tried not to gag. "You keep the blood. But, I will leave." She said, closing his door behind her.

She leaned against it for a moment, in thought. Was this really the Angel that had once captured Buffy's heart? Lily was sure he was another person now. He was dark now, she could see it in his eyes. He had lost the ones he loved. But it wasn't that simple. Someone you love dies, you don't just shut down. You can't. You have to go on fighting. Lily knew this, she lived by it. She'd watched people die around her for the past eight years of her life, ever since becoming a slayer, but she couldn't stop fighting because death was sad. Death should motivate you. Fight so others live. She shook her head, frustrated with the Vampire, and left.


	3. Slayer On The Loose

Lily was a stubborn girl. That's what everyone had always told her, anyways. She was not the type to give up on anything, let alone something as important as this. If Buffy had asked her to climb a mountain, she would have climbed it faster than anyone before her. If Buffy had begged her to never eat saltines, Lily would have stayed as far away from them as she could. But no. Buffy asked her to take care of Angel. To make sure he was all right, and happy. He was none of the above. But, Lily was not going to give up. Even if he ordered her away. She would keep trying even if it killed her.

Four days after Lily had brought Angel his blood, she returned to the warehouse, again, during the day. She pushed the door of his "room" open. She heard him sigh angrily. She noticed the three pints of blood were empty.

"Looks like you were hungry." She said, closing the door. She put down another brown bag, with three more pints of blood, and she also had three large plastic bags. "I brought some more presents." She said happily. Angel didn't move. "Oh, I get it. If you ignore, maybe I'll just go away and not come back." Lily said, putting down the shopping bags filled with new clothes. "Not likely. I'm sticking around this town. Someone's got to save this town…and you just don't seem up to the job." Angel still said nothing. "Well, I brought you some new clothes. It's a pity you'll probably just lay on this filthy ground in them. But, they're good incase you ever want to…you know, leave." Lily could see he wouldn't be acknowledging her, so she left the bags. "See you soon, champ." She said, again, closing the door behind her.

The sun was beginning to set after Lily left the warehouse. Her shoulder had finally healed itself, and she was ready to patrol the streets, see the kind of damage that was done. Lily knew that some people had a hard time making it home before dark, and she wanted to see more people getting home safely.

She headed towards downtown. She was surprised at the amount of activity she saw. Everywhere she looked, people were in large groups. She remembered now, hearing on the radio a new city plan. "Take Back the Night!" It had said, with promises of higher police protection, less 'violence' in the streets, and urges to carry pepper spray or tasers, and always travel in big groups. Lily didn't think anyone had actually been listening, but apparently, they were that desperate. It seemed to Lily that they had put in more streetlights, and they brightened up the streets very well.

Lily pushed herself behind a group of kids heading into a club. She knew that was a hot spot for vamps. They were all admitted in, no one asked for ID's. It was a sign that they were hurting for business, and wanted anyone they could get to come in. Lily threw down ten dollars for the cover charge.

The moment she walked in, she could spot them. There were at least fifteen vampires. They were eleven guys, and four girls. Three of them at the bar, four sitting down on the couches by the dance floor, and eight were spread out on the dance floor.

Lily gripped a stake in her hand, hidden under her jacket. She walked up to the bar first. She moved in next to one vampire, trying to get the bartender's attention. As she did, she elbowed the vampire's drink, and spilled it all over him.

"What the hell!" He shouted, jumping to his feet. Lily stuck out her leg, and he fell to the ground, no one seemed to notice. Lily bent down, staked him, and picked up the glass she had dropped. The other two that were at the bar, suddenly were at her sides. They grabbed her arms, and pulled her off to the side. Before they could even threaten her, she pulled her arm free, and staked the both of them.

As Lily had hoped, this caught the attention of the other vampires. However, it was all at the same time. 12 of them pushed her into the corner.

"What the hell was that?" One of them barked. "Will skin you alive for killing our brothers and sister." He threatened.

"I highly doubt you'll get the chance. One of them dove at her, she staked him. Two girls jumped sloppily at the same time. Lily threw one to the ground and staked her, the other tried to grab her arm, but Lily took the stake out of that hand, and staked her. "God, you guys have gotten lazy! I understand it's been easy pickins, but really. You have completely forgotten how to fight. So, you going to tell me who you're working for, or am I going to have to beat it out of you?"

"We don't work for anyone. We're rogue." One of the snapped, as if it were obvious.

"Don't tell her _anything_!" One girl snapped, slapping the back of the guy who had just spoken.

"He told me all I need to know." Lily said, pulling out a crossbow from her jacket. She shot it at the crowd, and one by one they turned to dust. She stopped at the last one.

"How many gangs like you are there?" She demanded. He looked terrified.

"A lot. There's a bunch of nests all over. Abandoned buildings, and factories. I could show you if you let me live!" He added hopefully.

"Any of them connected to Wolfram and Hart?" She asked. He twitched at the name.

"They've tried to recruit us all. But most of us wont have it. We don't want to be bossed around filthy _humans_…" He stopped, and rethought his statement. "I mean, I love humans myself. Wouldn't mind taking orders from you!" Lily rolled her eyes.

"What do they want you for?" She asked, annoyed with his lack of spine.

"For their army." He said, and Lily pulled the trigger. Just what she had thought. She walked through the pile of dust, and decided to keep moving through the clubs, dusting everything she could.

Lily was proud of her work. The streets at night were beginning to be a little more cheerful. She'd noticed that in the past three weeks, people had started to come out more, and the vampires were staying in. The city was boasting about its "Take Back the Night" plan, but Lily was pretty sure her stake had more to do with it. Word was traveling that there was a slayer in L.A. and it was having the effect she hoped it would.

It was Friday, and Lily was bringing Angel his blood. It was noon, so he was held up in his little room.

"It's really starting to smell in here." Lily said, collecting the old blood containers, which were only half the cause of the smell. The other spilt between Angel, and his pile of dead rats. "Maybe you should throw those out." Lily said, pointing to the rats. Angel sat up. Lily was taken aback. "Sorry, am I in the wrong warehouse?" She asked looking around. Angel rolled his eyes. "You cut your hair!" She said with a smirk. "Looks much better…a little rough around the edges." It was evident that he had used his knife to cut off the hair. It was choppy, and still a bit too long, but he looked a little better.

"It was getting hard to see." He muttered. Lily brought him over the morning paper.

"Well, see this." She said, he took the paper from her. "I'm making the front pages."

"L.A. Fatalities down 67%?" Angel questioned. "You've stopped killing?" He asked.

"I've been out kicking vampire ass, actually. I think they're starting to back off a bit." She said very confidently. "I took down three baby eating demons last night too. That always helps me sleep better at night. And two nights ago, I walked into a demon bar, they all left. I'm making an impression on this town." Angel put the paper down next to him. She handed him his brown bag, and he took out a pint.

"Thanks for the blood." He muttered. Lily's eyes went wide. He'd never said that before. She smirked. "What?" he demanded.

"Nothing." She said. "I'll see you later." She said happily. Maybe things were starting to go better with Angel. She had noticed today that he hadn't carved any more names in the wall since last week. She would have him out of this warehouse and fighting crime in no time.

Lily was itching in her own skin. She had already hit about 5 clubs (luckily it was Friday, and "ladies night" so she got in for free). She was at her last stop for the night, and in the whole place could only find one vampire. He had his arms around some young girl, and was pulling her close. Lily watched as he began to nuzzle her neck, and the girl giggled and smiled, then her eyes went wide. His hand covered her mouth, and no one around them seemed to notice. Lily pushed her way through the crowd.

"Hey!" She shouted, gripping his hair and pulling his face out of the girl's neck. He lost the vampire look quickly, and showed his human face. "What do you think you're doing?!" Lily shouted, close to tears. "I can't believe you! I leave for one minute, and you're out here with some floozy?" Lily pulled the girl away from him. He growled at her. "We're leaving _now."_ She said, and began dragging him away. She got as far as the coat check, before the vampire slammed her against a wall.

"Who the hell do you think you are, little girl?" He snarled. Lily kicked him off of her.

"Don't you know? I'm the slayer." She said, and staked him quickly. She went back to the dance floor. She found the girl, standing there, dazed. The girl looked at her.

"What just happened?" She asked, holding her neck. Lily took out a bandana she usually carried, and held it to the girls neck.

"Here, keep the pressure on it." She instructed. "That guy was some creep right?" Lily laughed.

"I thought he was your boyfriend?" The girl asked.

"Nah, I just thought he was giving you a hard time. You're going to be fine. Are your friends here?" The girl nodded. "You should have one of them take you to the hospital, just in case." The girl nodded again, and Lily watched her walk to a group of girls. Lily moved as the girl tried to point her out to the group of friends.

Something was still missing. Lily was missing something. The slaying was such a rush, but it always left her wanting more.

"Hey, I saw what happened out there." Someone was talking to her. Lily looked up. It was a guy, very good looking, well kept blonde hair, nice blue eyes.

"You did?" Lily asked, getting a little caught up in his looks.

"I had a girlfriend like that once. I walked in on her cheating on my with my roommate. I know how it feels." Lily nodded, glad that he hadn't seen what was actually going on, with the blood drinking and vampires.

"Yeah, it's a really tough thing to go through." Lily said, nodding, trying her best to look sad. "I just feel all…lost. And, lonely too." She said quickly. She took in a deep breath, trying not to over sell it. "I just don't know what to do." She said, pouting a bit. He put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Do you want to go someplace, maybe talk?" He asked. Lily thought he seemed like a nice guy. He might just be the one to help her itch the scratch that had been plaguing her.

"Yeah, but it's pretty loud in here. Maybe we could go back to your place?" She suggested. He smiled and nodded, still seeming as though he was actually concerned with how she was taking her break up that hadn't actually happened.

"I haven't seen you around before, are you new around here?" Mike, whose name she found out in the cab ride to his apartment, asked.

"L.A.'s a big city. Maybe I've been here a while." Lily said, watching as he poured two glasses of wine. She decided not to tell him that she was just 20. The fact that she had been in that club at all was misleading, and she didn't want to correct his mistake.

"I don't know. I think I would have seen you before." He said with a smile.

"I did just move up here. About a month and a half ago."

"With the boyfriend?" He asked. Lily shook her head.

"No, he lived here already. I moved up to be closer to him." She lied, remembering to act sad, and sigh whenever she mentioned him. Mike brought the two glasses to his couch, and put them on his living room table. Lily sat down next to him. "But now that's all over. I couldn't possibly stay with someone who isn't faithful." She said, making it clear that she was ready to move on from the fake relationship.

"You say that, but sometimes it's hard to just forget. After I caught Kelly, my ex, at first all I wanted was to win her back." Lily tried not to roll her eyes. She didn't really want to talk about relationships, especially since Lily hadn't been in many that lasted longer than a night. "Being betrayed like that, it was awful." He said. Lily sipped her wine.

"I'm sure it was very hard for you." She said, placing her hand delicately on his knee. She felt his leg muscles tighten, ever so slightly. "I mean, how could anyone do that to someone like you?" She asked, moving closer to his side. He had his arm behind her on the sofa, and she curled up next to his side. He felt very warm.

"She didn't think I was spontaneous enough." He said. Lily was a little tired of hearing about this girlfriend. "Always putting me down, you know? Did your boyfriend ever do that?" Lily rested her head on his chest. His heart began to beat a little quicker.

"All the time." She said, very dreamy. "But we should forget about them." She said, she picked up both his glass and her own, handing him his wine. "We should just…move on." She said with a smirk. She quickly sipped the rest of her wine. He took a long gulp from his own.

"I'm just still so hurt…it's been about a month, but it's all I can think about." Lily was convinced this guy was the dumbest one she'd ever met. She took matters into her own hands. She nuzzled her nose into his neck. His breath caught, and he stopped talking. She kissed right under his jaw, and he took in a deep breath. Lily put her hand on his chest, and pushed herself up, her mouth next to his ear.

"I think I can help you forget." She said, then began to bite his ear softly. She moved her hand that had been resting on his knee up his thigh. He had fallen into shock, she was sure, because he just sat there. She decided to go for it, and pushed herself onto his lap, her legs straddled over him. He looked a bit surprised; Lily let a devilish grin creep over her face.

"You didn't come here to talk at all, did you?" He asked, with a smirk. Lily shook her head. He smiled, and his blue eyes lit up. Lily pushed herself to his lips; his hands grabbed her small waist, pulling her tight to his lap. One arm was around his neck, pulling him closer to her, the other sat on the top of his leg; her thumb rubbed his inner thigh. She could feel him, she knew he wanted her. "Should we go not talk then?" He asked. Lily nodded, and he grabbed her legs, pulling her close to him, and carried her to his bedroom.

She had quietly dressed in the dark after she was sure Mike was asleep. She was sorry to leave such a good looking man behind, but Lily was not the type to wake up for breakfast the next morning. Buffy always said that Lily reminded her of Faith in that respect. She didn't take guys very seriously, but she knew how to get what she wanted from them. Lily had never been big for relationships. The only boy she ever thought she might love, turned out to not be a knight in shining armor, but an asshole with a bad temper. He had hit her once, but being 16 and a slayer, Lily had hit him right back, doing far more damage. She wasn't too keen on boyfriends after that.

She checked her watch; it was only 2:00 am. She rode the elevator downstairs, and walked out of the apartment, back to the quiet street. She walked about a block, then cut into an alley she knew was a shortcut back to her place. She was stopped by a figure in her way.

"Great. A little more play." She said, reaching for her stake.

"Haven't you had enough tonight?" The figure asked. "I'm surprised you're on your way home now though, did you decided to cut out the cuddling?" Lily stepped back a bit.

"Angel?" She asked. Suddenly she was horrified. "Oh god, we're you following me…watching me?" She asked, her face flushed.

"Not watching." He said, with a bit of disgust. "I came out to find you…there's a cult that's moved in downstairs, they're chanting is keeping my up at night, and I hate the smell of goat's blood." He sounded angry.

"Are they there now? I could come by.."

"No. They're gone by now. Forget about it, I'll deal with them." He said, and walked by her, out of the alley.

"Glad to see you're getting out!" She called after him, feeling a little embarrassed. She walked the rest of the way home without any disturbances.


	4. Oppurtunity

It was about 8 o'clock at night, and Lily was on her way to Paradiso. She walked in, went right past the bar, and right over to where Lorne usually sat. It was Karaoke hour, and someone was down on the stage, singing a rendition of Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance".

"This singing is worse than the Romance." Lorne said as Lily sat down next to him in the booth. "He's nervous about his new baby on the way, but it'll be a nice baby boy, a little heavy though. The poor mama that's gotta push that thing out of her…Oh hey there lemon wedge! I barely even saw you." Lorne had a way of just speaking to anyone who sat near him, without even looking up. "I heard you've been a busy little bee." He said, with a knowing smirk. Lily blushed.

"What do you mean?" She asked, wondering if she knew who she had been with last night.

"The slaying? You're doing a great job; you've got critters hiding their tails between their legs. Why…what did you think I was talking about? You're hiding something…" He said, waiting for her to spill.

"No idea what you're talking about. But, I had a vampire mention something about Wolfram and Hart starting up a vampire army. Have you heard about this?" She asked, changing the subject.

"Only bits and pieces. I can't tell whether it's a literal army, or if they're just looking for some underpayable lawyers. You never can tell with them, but I'll let you know the minute I find out. Now, how about you hop up on that stage and sing me a pretty little song?" Lorne asked.

"Some other night Lorney. I've got a cult bugging a friend." Lily said, and slipped out of the booth.

Lily liked to break in doors, and was disappointed when the door was already missing on the warehouse. Instead, she decided to break in through the window. The chanting on the bottom floor of Angel's warehouse stopped. A circle of red robed figure stood, and turned to Lily.

"Really? A goat and everything?" Lily asked, looking at the tied down goat next to the fire the cult had made. "This is almost too perfect. Too bad for you guys I hate cults. One tried to sacrifice my 'pure blood' when I was eleven."

"Kill her." One of them commanded. A red cloak came running at her, knife above his head. His hood fell back, and it was a vampire. Lily grabbed the sword she had brought, and effortlessly sliced his head before he had a chance to slow down.

"Right, now if anyone wants to live, you can tell me why you're doing this sacrifice, and who you're doing it for."

"Wolfram and Hart made us!" One of them cried out. "Can I leave?" He asked. Lily nodded.

"You, may leave. Anyone else want to leave? I just need information." They were all silent. The vampire who was allowed to leave walked by Lily, and she cut his head off. "Yeah, I lied. No one leaves here unless you're dust…or a goat." She added, pointing her sword at the tied up animal.

The vampires formed a circle around her, and began to close in. She tired of this formation, it was always so predictable. As her back was turned, one would go for it, which they did, and she stuck the sword in its gut. Then, two would charge from the side, and as they did, she jumped backwards, watching them crash into one another. She sliced off their heads as they were on the ground. Now there was four left. One tried to run, Lily stuck out her leg, and kicked him right in the stomach, and he flew backwards.

She finished the battle quickly. She was about to go upstairs to see Angel, when someone else came through the door.

"Oh, were you out?" Lily asked, surprised Angel was just coming in. He frowned looking around the room.

"I was coming to finish off the cult, I thought the door would be a more surprising entrance…but it looks like you've already taken care of them." He said, his voice lackluster. There was barely even any anger in it, per usual.

"Well, what are you doing now? Want to come on a patrol?" Lily asked. Angel rolled his eyes. "You're practically already outside! Might as well!" Lily said, walking over to him and pushing him out the door. He winced as she pushed his chest. She noticed he was wearing the clothes she had brought him. She also noticed a nice gash in his chest. "Is this the same cut as before?" She asked. He didn't answer him. Lily went outside and grabbed the bag she had brought. "Take off your shirt." She demanded. Angel's eyes went wide, and he stood motionless. Lily pulled it up as far as she could. "Hold it here." She said, and he took the cloth. She pulled out from her bag some antiseptic, poured it onto a cloth, and started to swab the wound.

"That hurts." Angel complained, sucking his breath in.

"I thought vampires had healing powers." Lily said, gruffly cleaning the wound.

"Not when the blades are poisoned." Angel said, teeth clenched. Lily looked up at him, angry.

"You should have told me this wasn't healing. You're not dying on my watch-" Angel grabbed her hand, and pulled it away from his cut.

"If you haven't noticed, I'm already dead." He pulled his shirt down, and went back into the darkness of the warehouse. Lily was mad at his attitude, but decided to go out and find some kind of outlet for her aggression.

She had ended up downtown again. The rest of the town was dead, in the demonic sense. Even the cemeteries were lacking in the vampire department. It was a Thursday night, and most of the clubs were dead, seeing as how it was a school and work night. Lily settled for bar hopping, but those too were empty, and the vampires just weren't out. Lily sighed, feeling a little useless. She decided to head back to her house.

It was two blocks when she decided that the black limo one the street behind her was definitely following her. She had seen it back when she was going through the bars, but hadn't though anything of it. She decided to confront them, and jumped out into the street. The limo screeched to a halt. That was a good sign; they weren't trying to kill her…yet. The long car pulled around her, and it stopped next to her. The back window went down.

"Miss Lily?" There was a deep male voice from the back.

"How may I help you?" She asked. The driver had gotten out of the front seat, walked around the car, and opened the door for her.

"Get in, if you would be so kind?" He asked. Lily, even though she had been told as a child many times not to get into a car with a stranger, climbed in.

"Oh, she is lovely!" There was a woman in the back seat, she had on a very elegant, tight black dress. The man next to her in a suit. "She looks so small! Too small for vampires!" the woman laughed. "I'm guessing you don't know who I am?" She asked.

"Sorry ma'am, I don't. But you seem to know a lot about me." Lily said, suddenly thinking this was a bad idea.

"Yes! Of course I do! Well, first, I am Miss Beudo. I own most of the clubs down here. And I have you to thank for the business I've been getting back!"

"Me?"

"You're the girl who fights the vampires, right?" She asked, her eyebrow arched knowingly. Lily felt stuck. "You stick a few in my club, it's going to get caught on camera somehow, even if the people in the club don't notice, I will. Anyway, I think it's just great what you do! Making places safe, being a Vampire…what is it, Slayer?" Lily was shocked, but managed to nod. "We tried to do a little research on you. Charles?

"There is one chosen one born into each generation, a vampire slayer. Always a girl. It was supposed to be just one at a time, until one slayer cast a spell. Now there's more." The man in the suit recited. Lily was almost positive he was her bodyguard.

"And now we have our own slayer right here in LA!"

"I'm glad you…like my work, but I'm not sure what I'm doing here right now." Lily said, Miss Beudo laughed.

"Right to the point, I understand. Well, it seems that this vampire problem won't be going away any time soon. We're still having girls showing up dead in the bathrooms and alleys. It's really bad for business….and a tragedy." She added quickly. "I was hoping that we could employ you as our head of security. We want this vampire situation dealt with."

"Me? Head of security? Why don't you just have some kind of peace spell done on the place-"

"We've tried, but there's apparently a contract we've signed that prohibits it. I tried to appeal it, but this dreadful law office came in full force threatening to sue us-"'

"Wolfram and Hart?" Lily asked.

"Yes! That's them. Awful people…who wouldn't want to protect the greater good?"

"So, you're not affiliated with them at all?" Lily asked, this was a little reassuring that the evil law firm hadn't gotten it's mitts into everyone in L.A.

"Never! They tried to set up a trust with us, but I refused. Vile people, those lawyers." She said, still fuming. She took a breath, and turned back to Lily, with a smile. "So what do you say, my dear? I assure you that you will be compensated very, very well."

"I…I'm not sure I could commit to a job like this. I'm a slayer…sometimes impending apocalypse's and demon hoards get in the way…"

"I'm flexible dear! All I want is someone who knows what they're doing in charge. You could train a few of my men, perhaps, teach them about vampires. And I was hoping that you could do a weekend check of my clubs, make sure there's nothing to creepy or crawly sneaking in."

"I'd…have to really think about it." Lily said, really wanting to say yes to the job. Miss Beudo took out a card, and scribbled something on the back.

"Well, here is my card. I wrote a little weekly estimate on the back, just to persuade you." She said with a wink. "If I don't hear back from you within the week, I'll assume you've decided to pass on the deal." The limo had stopped. "Perfect timing!" The limo door opened. "Have a wonderful night my dear." Lily stepped out of the limo and was surprised to be in front of her apartment. The limo sped away, and Lily looked down at the card. The weekly figure Miss Beudo had written made her blush. Lily had a good trust fund from her parents, but that couldn't last forever. With this money…Lily would be a fool to pass it up.


	5. Walkin in Los Angeles

**Author's Note: in this story, Lily sings a song called _Walking In Los Angeles_ sung by Kate Micucci. I have no affiliation with that song, and the lyrics are just borrowed. I also HIGHLY recommend you listen to the song before reading this. It would make the story much better.

"Head of security? Why?" Angel seemed so unnerved by the concept of Lily being offered a job.

"Because, I'm the slayer, obviously." Lily said, starting to get annoyed. She put down his bag of blood. "Who better to be head of security when you've got a nasty vampire problem."

"You shouldn't be wasting your time in clubs." Angel grumbled, sitting down on the mattress Lily had found for him.

"Wasting my time? You do know that 95% of the vamps I kill are in those clubs, right? I'm not just going there for some kind of social life." She argued.

"Sure.." Angel mumbled.

"Oh god, if you're talking about that guy the other night…Sure I met him at the club, but that's not why I was there. I saved a girl's life! She was being sucked dry on the dance floor and no one noticed!"

"Sure." Angel said, taking out a pint of blood. Lily had become accustomed to him drinking blood in front of her now. "What does your little boyfriend think of the job?" Angel asked.

"Boyfriend? You're joking, right?" Lily asked. Angel's face was stern. "Some guy I go home with is not a boyfriend, especially if you catch me leaving his house at 2 in the morning." Lily explained. Angel was silent. "I'm going to go to Paridiso, Lorne's new club, tell him about my new job offering. You want to come?" Lily asked, hopeful that he would come out of hiding. He shook his head. Lily noticed his hair, it looked better cut than the last time she had seen him. She was almost sure he'd gotten an actual hair cut. Even though he refused to say it, Lily was certain he was getting out. Just when she wasn't around. "Fine. But, there's a chance I'll be singing. And who doesn't love watching their friends be embarrassed!" She said as she walked out the door, leaving it open.

"You're going to be working for another club? I'm heartbroken!" Lorne said, frowning at the news. Lily was sipping on a drink that was heavily filled with vodka, and only a tiny bit of fruit juice. She was trying to calm her nerves.

"You're club doesn't need a body guard, you've got the major mojo working for you. These people need a little muscle."

"Yeah, five feet of blonde, girly muscle." Lorne scoffed. Lily raised an insulted eyebrow at him. "Just kidding, Popsicle. You're as tough as nails. Tougher! Nail's got nothing on you." Lily laughed.

"Well, I'm kind of nervous about taking the job…which is why I'm here…I was hoping I could maybe…sing, or something-" Lorne grabbed the waiter that was just walking by them

"Cut the music. Karaoke starts now." Lorne demanded. He grabbed Lily's wrist and pulled her down the stairs, past the dance floor, and on to the stage. Lorne grabbed the microphone from the front of the stage. "Ladies! Gentlemen! Creatures of the night, are you having a good night?" Lorne shouting to the crowd, and they applauded back, cheering. "I have a special treat for you, my close, personal friend is going to be gracing us with a song." Lorne said, waving towards Lily, all eyes turned to her. She waved, suddenly a bit nervous.

Someone walked up on stage next to Lily, and asked for the song. The band mystically knew any and every song. Lily whispered the song to the waiter, and he went off to tell the band.

"Hey! That's the slayer!" Someone shouted. There was an angry mumble amongst the crowd.

"Tonight, she's not just the slayer. She's the entertainment!" Lorne said. There wasn't a change in the hostile air.

"Maybe this was a bad idea." Lily whispered to Lorne.

"Nonsense! I've got an ear for voices, and I can tell, you're going to kill 'em." Lorne said. "Both theatrically, and probably later in the week when you find them desecrating something sacred." He added, thoughtfully. The lights dimmed, and the spotlight hit Lily. "They're ready for you." He said quietly to Lily. "The Slayer!" Lorne shouted into the microphone, met with silence, and handed it to her.

The guitar began to strum. She took a deep breath in, suddenly wondering if requesting a private session with Lorne would have been a better idea.

"_I'm gonna walk two, three, four down the street_

_Singing to the sidewalk as I keep to the beat of the cars, of the cars._

_I'm gonna watch the pavement to skip the cracks_

_Careful not to step on them or break my mama's back, or go to the moon._

_So we begin, Another day in California_

_Be good or sin, _

_Don't go right there I tried to warn ya_

_Nothing could be, Prettier than this_

_Walking in Los Angeles_

_But who does it?_

_I'm gonna wave hello to the friends I met_

_The city seems much smaller when you travel by the side of the street_

_Just watch for the borders_

_Gonna sing a song to the meter maid_

_Tell her it's a holiday, Or maybe that there's a parade_

_So forget about quarters_

_So we begin Another day in California_

_Be good or sin_

_Don't go right there I tried to warn ya_

_Nothing could be, Prettier than this_

_Walking in Los Angeles_

_But who does it?_

_I wear my fancy shoes, And hop with every step_

_From heel to toe I mean I'm marching with me soul between them_

_Stepping down the walk of fame_

_I'll skip the stars filled with dead people's names, _

_And I'll keep walking_

_Gonna sing a song to a homeless man_

_I'll take the melody and he'll bang on a tin can_

_That rings through the city_

_And we'll march together for 3-4-4_

_The homeless man, the meter maid, and me marching like never before_

_We'll wave like we're pretty_

_So we begin, Another day in California_

_Be good or sin_

_Don't go right there I tried to warn ya_

_Nothing could be, Prettier than this_

_Walking in Los Angeles_

_But who does it?" _

Lily had been singing with her eyes closed. She realized this when the song ended, and she had opened her eyes to applause. She was shocked. They had liked her. She bowed, nervously, laughing. She waved as she began to walk off the stage, but Lorne caught her, and pulled her back on.

"Was I right? The Slayer everybody!" The crowd keep cheering, whistling, and asking for one more song. Lily bowed once more, and her and Lorne walked off the stage. He brought her back near the bar, into a booth. He muttered something to a waiter as the sat down. "Lily cakes, that was beautiful." He commended her. She shrugged.

"So, what about my job? Is it…okay?" She asked, hopeful.

"Oh, that? Of course, you'll be great at it, and it's perfect for you. A little stressful, but nothing compared to…" A waiter had brought over two drinks. Lily, mistaking her glass for water, downed it all in one gulp. "Whoa! Easy there!" Lily swallowed the alcohol down hard. She gasped for air.

"That was…not what I though it was." She explained.

"It's alright dear, you're a star now! Drink all you want! They'll just think you're trying to fit in to Hollywood!" Lorne laughed

"I wish you hadn't made a big deal about me." Lily said, she could feel her face was still warm with embarrassment, or she was possibly drunk from that glass of surprise vodka.

"But you were a big deal, sweetie. Did you hear that applause? They loved you! You were fantastic! The voice of an-"

"Angel?" Lily was staring off into the crowd. Angel caught her gaze, turned, and left the club.

"Yeah…he snuck while we were talking…I thought you knew?" Lorne asked. Lily's eyes were wide.

"I didn't know you knew about him…that I was watching out for him…"

"Well, I kind of figured after that song." He said with a smirk. "You should go after him. I haven't seen him this broody since…well, it's been a while." Lorne said. Lily nodded, worried that something was wrong, another cult in his basement or something.

"Thanks again Lorne! You're a doll!" Lily called after him.

Lily ran up the stairs that lead outside, and hit the street. Once she stopped to look for Angel, her head suddenly felt light. That drink she had downed, on top of what she had drank before the performance, was starting to catch up on her. She fell back on the cement wall, trying to stop the street from spinning.

"Angel?" Lily called out, hoping that was all it would take to find him. She was lucky. Angel turned the corner from alley, where she assumed he had been waiting for her.

"Are you feeling alright?" Angel asked. Lily nodded.

"Yeah, just peachy." She said. "How come you came by?" Lily asked. "I'm really surprised you actually left you little rat hol-I mean your warehouse." She said, biting her lip. Alcohol affected her ability to not say things she shouldn't.

"I leave there more than you might think." He said. Lily rolled her eyes.

"Every time you seem to wind up where I am. It's like you're following me," she said, laughing. Angel was silent. "Oh…you're not following me, are you?" She asked suddenly very serious. Again, Angel said nothing. "No! No no no no!" She said, childishly, stamping her foot. "I'm the one who's supposed to be looking after you! Not the other way around!" She said, her speech becoming a little more run together.

"Are you sure you're feeling okay?" Angel questioned.

"I'm fine! I'm just drunk!" She snapped.

"You sang like that drunk?" Angel asked, almost sounding a little impressed.

"No! I wasn't drunk Then, I'm only drunk now because Lorne gave me this glass that I thought was water, but nope! Vodka! Straight up! So, thinking it's water, I just chug it down, not realizing till it's too late…then I saw you and chased you, and I think the running and the mixing of the alcohol in my belly got me really drunk really quick." Lily said in one long breath.

"I think I should walk you home." Angel suggested, and it didn't sound like a bad idea.

"Lead the way." Lily said sarcastically, and was surprised when he took her arm, and actually started to lead her. "You know where I live?" She asked. Angel said nothing. She pulled her arm away from him, and punched him in the arm.

"Ow! Stop!" Angel said. "What was that for?" He asked, rubbing his arm.

"Stop not saying anything!" Lily shouted. "I'm sick of you being so quiet all the time! I bring you blood, I bring you the paper, clothes, a mattress, and some blankets, and all you do is not say anything!" Lily was getting heated. "I'm trying, really really hard to keep this place safe you know! I'm trying to fix you so you can help me keep it safe, but you're just quite! And when you're not quiet, you're kind of mean!" she accused. "Buffy said you were some cute, broody little puppy. But you're just all dark and twisted." Lily's fists were clenched. She tried taking a few deep breaths to calm down. "I'm not going anywhere. I promised that I'd fix you, and I'm going to. So, just get used to it! And…stop being such a jerk!" She said, and that was the last thing she said. She started walking towards her apartment, Angel following close behind. Once she got there, her legs felt like Jell-o, she turned to Angel, and just nodded. He watched her walk in the door before he left her.


	6. Bar Fight

Lily woke up with a headache. She wasn't surprised. She sighed, remembering how great it had felt to be up on stage, having everyone applaud for her. Then she remembered how angry she had gotten at Angel, and she felt bad. She didn't know what the past six years had been like for him, or how painful it must have been, watching the people around him die.

It was almost noon, and Lily picked up the phone and called the number on Miss Beudo's card. She had been thrilled when Lily accepted, and they set up a meeting for tomorrow.

Lily decided she had earned a nice long bath. She drew one up, and added some of the Healing Salts Willow had sent along with her. She sat in the hot water, and her muscles became relaxed, and she sighed deeply. Things began to feel very peaceful, and she wondered if it was the magic salts.

After her bath, Lily waited for it to get dark. She had nothing else to do today, Angel had his blood for the next few days, and she had a feeling he wasn't going to be in the mood for a visit today.

The moment the sun had set, Lily was out. She was itching again. Dying for a kill. She did a large sweep, through all the alley ways and the regular haunts she knew vampires like to hide, but she only found about 3 actual vampires.

Her over zealous slaying caused her to be finished with her patrol by 10. She was disappointed. She was dying to stumble upon a nest, get a good fight in, but she just couldn't seem to find any. Most of the abandoned buildings had been nests at one point, but now they were empty with the squatters long gone.

Lily sighed as she walked downtown. Shops were closing, and people were starting to go home. It was Saturday, so as the shop keeps were leaving, there were plenty of other people filling the streets, flooding into the hot spots on the street. Lily was entertaining the idea of going inside one of the clubs, but couldn't stop thinking how Angel said she was "wasting her time" in there. What did he know? Even if tonight she was just going in for fun, she deserved some fun.

Lily decided to ignore what Angel had said, and hopped in line at Rave, one of the younger clubs. She pulled out some cash as she walked up to the bouncer.

"Miss Lily?" He asked. She looked up, surprised.

"Uh…yes?" She said. He opened the door for you.

"Miss Beudo says your money is no good here." He said with a wink. Lily grinned.

"Thanks!" She said happily, listening to some complaints behind her. She was starting to like her job already.

The club had the AC on full blast, and coming in from outside, it felt wonderful. It had been a hot July night, Lily had worn her favorite black skit and an oversized, deep purple tank top, and had still been feeling too warm.

Lily had stopped at the bar before wanting to go dance. She needed some liquid courage first. She was lucky it was a busy night, because the female bartender was not watching the amount of shots that Lily was ordering. Being a slayer shot Lily's alcohol tolerance up, so she had to drink twice the amount someone else her size would need to feel anything.

By the time Lily was on her way to dance, she was tipsy to say the least. The moment she found herself a spot on the dance floor, someone slipped their hand around her. She smiled, and pulled him close. The songs were quick, ones she didn't really know, and changed constantly, and so didn't the man standing behind Lily. Guys would walk over, leave, or get pulled away by jealous girlfriends. Lily didn't care. She was happy, and having fun for the first time in a while.

Lily should have known the second she felt at peace something was wrong. She was a slayer, and that means if you start having fun, chaos is coming.

Lily heard a cluster of girls scream. She pushed the guy she was dancing with away. There was something happening towards the entrance of the club. Lily pushed her way through the gathering crowd.

"No one leaves alive!" Someone shouted. Lily rolled her eyes as others around her let out terrified protests. "Your blood will serve a higher purpose tonight. No longer will it flow through your unworthy veins. Tonight, it will be spilled in order to-"

"Blah blah human sacrifice, blah blah." Lily stepped forward, confronting the one talking about the blood flow. "You know, the ones doing the sacrificing always make it seem like such a big deal. But let me tell you, when you're the one being sacrificed, you really don't care what it's for. In fact, you tend to hate whatever it is that you're being sacrificed for. Am I right?" Lily asked to the girl next to her. She looked terrified. Lily shrugged. "Maybe it's just me."

"Slayer. Perfect. We'll be killing two birds with one stone." The man cackled.

"Whoa. The people slaughtering is frowned upon, but killing birds? With stones? Now we have a problem." The man stared vacantly at her. "Fine, no more jokes, right with the fighting." From behind him, red robes began to fan out. "Hey! I know you guys!" Lily said. She laughed, then began to regret the amount of alcohol she had consumed.

There were a lot more hooded figures here than there had been that night in Angel's warehouse, but she was sure they were of the same variety. They had the same gold embroidered symbol on the chest.

"Any chance you guys wanna skip the actual fight and just run off in terror?" Three vampires jumped at her. "Guess not then." She said, jumping into action.

It was constant fighting. Just when she killed the five swarming her, six more took their place. People were panicking, racing around the fight, trying to escape. She accidentally kicked an innocent bystander who was trying to run for the exit. Even the ones Lily wasn't accidentally harming were being thrown around. The vampires had blocked off the entrance, and all of the fire exits.

Lily was exhausted. There was no break in the fighting, and she was beginning to think she was too outnumbered. A vampire caught her arm, and twisted it behind her back. Another stepped up to punch her right in the stomach. She doubled over in pain, but was pulled back up by her hair.

"We got her!" The one twisting her arm called.

"Let us kill her! We'll sacrifice the rest, but let us keep her blood!" One shouted. Lily felt nauseous. She jerked her arm away from the vampire, when another smashed her over the head with something blunt and heavy. Her body went limp. She was starting to lose consciousness. She heard something crash in front of her. She opened her eyes in time to see a fallen vampire, stake in its chest, turn to dust. Looking up, Lily saw Angel fighting off a group of vampires.

"Oh great. I'm gonna die, then they're gonna kill him too. Then who will save the city?" Lily was suddenly shoved forward. She sprawled out on the ground. The vampire who had been holding her was on the ground. Lily looked up and saw a young girl holding a chair. "Did you just…did you do that?" Lily asked, pointing to the unconscious vampire. The girl nodded, looking like she was in shock. Lily smiled, nodding. "Awesome." With a newfound energy, Lily began to fight again. Angel pushed his way over to her.

"Awake now?" He asked, trading blows with a female vampire.

"All part of my plan."

"What plan?" He asked.

"To die. Then you'd really have to come out of retirement." Lily said, ducking a punch, then swiftly staking the vampire. As he crumbled to dust, Lily looked around. They were gone.

"That's not funny" Angel said, also staking his vampire.

"They're gone." Lily noted. She started to move towards the entrance, when a sound caught her attention. She turned, and people were clapping.

"You saved us!" Someone shouted.

"You're heroes!"

"Super heroes!" Lily froze. Usually people were too busy to notice her fighting. She turned to Angel, and cocked her head to one side, confused. He grabbed her arm and pulled her away from the cheering crowd.

"They clapped." Lily said as her and Angel walked down the empty alley.

"They did." He said coldly.

"They called us heroes." She said, almost absent mindedly.

"They did."

"They…noticed me."

"People always notice." Angel said quickly.

"What?" Lily wasn't sure she had heard him correctly.

"People watch you Lily. You're not as under the radar as you think."

"What?" She asked again.

"Are you drunk?" Angel asked, looking back at her.

"Well, yeah!" She said, over exasperated. "How do you know people watch me?"

"I just do."

"Because you watch them watch me?" She stared at the back of his head as he walked in front of her. "How did you find out about the vampire take over?"

"I was out. I heard a commotion. That's all." She could almost hear the glare in his voice.

"Sure." Lily rolled her eyes.

"I wasn't out watching you…clubbing, or whatever you call it. I could care less if you were dancing with some losers in a bar."

"A-ha! You knew I was dancing! You followed me!" Lily said, jumping in front of Angel, blocking his path.

"Well, it's obvious you need to be followed. I saved you, _again_. You always seem to find yourself in more trouble than you can handle."

"Not true! I've been doing this for a long time _without_ your help, buddy boy!" Lily regretted that last part the moment she said it.

"Buddy boy?" Angel asked.

"Whatever!" Lily noticed where she was. She had followed Angel right back to her apartment. "I'm….going to bed." She said, and stormed inside.

Kicking off her shoes, Lily climbed into bed. She didn't bother to take off her clothes, she was far too exhausted.

"Stupid vampire boy. I'm supposed to be watching out for him. Not the other way around. Stupid…mopey…puppy…vampire…boy." Lily slept soundly until the morning.


	7. Imposter

"I wasn't drunk." Lily crossed her arms like a child. Angel rolled his eyes. The two were together in his tiny room in his warehouse.

"You were." He insisted. "You always are." He added under his breath.

"I am not!" Lily stamped her foot. "In fact, I was so sober last night, that when my boss saw me on the surveillance cameras, she added an extra 0 to my weekly pay. How could a drunk be that good?"

"Whatever…so you took the job?"

"Yeah. I stopped by there before I came here. Things seem great. I start for real on Monday, but I'm going to be there unofficially for the weekend."

"Great. A job where you get to party. How perfect for you."

"That's it." Lily walked over to Angel and grabbed his arm, twisting it behind his back, and started pushing him towards the door. "You're going into the sun."

"Don't make me hurt you." Angel muttered. "You're like a small child. I could break you very easily."

"I'm a slayer. You're the small child." She tried to push him forward, but he very quickly broke away from her, and was behind her. He had her arm twisted behind her back now and was pushing her towards the door. "Cheater." She muttered, and she could swear she heard him laugh, just a bit. Lily put up her foot against he door so he couldn't push her forward anymore. "I'm not going to burst into flames going out there. This poses no threat to me." His hands dropped away from her.

"Oh, right." He went back and fell onto his bed.

"Well now, don't sound so disappointed that i can't be killed so easily." Lily rolled her eyes and took a seat on the milkcrate in a corner of the room.

"Everyone's talking about you." Angel said, staring at his ceiling. Lily looked over to him, unsure of what that meant.

"Nothing but good things I hope?"

"Try to take this seriously, okay?" Angel propped himself up on the bed. "Your name is running through the demon world right now, and Wolfram and Hart is taking a big interest in you." His brow furrowed. He seemed angry at her.

"You know that is what I've been trying do. They need to know that this town does not belong to them."

"But it does." He snapped. He got up off the bed, but turned away from her. "You don't know them, or what they're capable of. For all you know, they have Lorne and I under their control, and we've been spying on you this whole learning all of your weaknesses."

"But they don't…" Lily shifted uncomfortably in her seat.

"You're damn lucky they don't." He turned around, his face serious. "They'd know all they need to take you down is an open bar." Lily glared at Angel. She threw an empty bucket of pigs blood at him. He hit it away. "Okay…that was a joke. But I'm serious about them. They're dangerous. They might be more than you can handel."

"So handel them with me." Lily stood up. Her fists clenched. "Help me, Angel. This is your fight more than it is mine anways. L.A, is yours….or it was. Don't you want it back? You should want people to be talking about _**you**_. You should want to be the thing they're scared of. Not the pathetic shut in living in a rat infested warehouse…" Lily stopped. Angel did something she had never seen him do before. He smirked. Lily felt panicked. "What?" She was nervous.

"You're not very bright Lily." He said, looking up at her. Lily folded her arms defensively, ready for a verbal attack. "You're a good fighter, stubborn as hell, smart as a whip….most of the time. But you're not as observant as you think you are."

"Okay, what am I missing here?" Lily was frustrated with Angel. What was he getting at?

"Do you know why I live here? Do you really think it's because I like the smell? Or te view?" Lily was starting to get nervous.

"Because…you're crazy? And depressed? And….crazy?" Angel shook his head.

"I've had my own plan. One that I worked up without you. Do you think Wolfram and Hart would be trying to carry out any of their evil plans if they thought that I was a threat to them? I've already stopped them once, and there's no doubt I could do it again. If they thought that I was at 100%, that I was serious about trying to save this town from them, they wouldn't be carrying on out in the open as they have been. It would have been a much more tight lipped operation. I couldn't' have them thinking I was any where near interested in helping the helpless. Becoming a "pathetic shut it" was a cover. I had to drop off the radar. Do all my fighting in secret…stay invisible. Then you show up out of the blue. I thought they sent you. To see if I was really crazy." Lily was shocked. Her mouth had fallen open just a touch, and she had no words. It had all been an act? "And then you went home with Mike…." Lily found her words again.

"Don't you bring that up-" She started angrily, but Angel cut her off.

"He's the financial advisor for Wolfram and hart. I thought you knew him from the office. And I was disappointed that you really were working for them. But I talked with Lorne and he said he got no evil vibes from you, and then you sang…." Angel looked up at her, they held eyes for an uncomfortably long moment. "And now you're a glorified vampire bouncer. You're real. You're good. And I finally believe you. And now you know."

Lily threw Angel's door open, ignoring his yelp, and left. She was furious. He had lied to her? All this time? He thought she was the enemy all this time? She had thought she had been helping him recover from a tragedy all this time and he was just putting on an act?

"Did you know?" Lily had stormed into Paradiso demanding answers.

"Whoa cupcake, you're a little early. We're not open for alcohol sales yet." Lorne was wearing a bathrobe, filling out paperwork.

"Don't you call me pastries Lorne. Did you know Angel was pretending to be crazy this whole time?" Lily's voice was shaking she was so mad.

"He swore me to secrecy. I knew you were the real deal, but he's become paranoid in his old age. I'm sorry he upset you, buttercup."

"I've been busting my ass, throwing around my money trying to help him get better, when he's been fine this whole damn time! Who does he think he is? Wasting my time, my money, my patience…I hate him." Lily flopped down at the bar next to Lorne, and buried her face in her crossed arms.

"There, there baby bird." He said, patting her back. "Lorne will make it better…Steve, get the girl her usual….Yes I know it's only 3 in the afternoon. But she's heartbroken!" Lily sat up and began drinking. She turned to Lorne after a hard sip.

"You don't think I have a drinking problem, do you?" She asked, remembering Angel's snide remarks. She took another sip as Lorne watched.

"You don't look like you have a problem drinking!" He said with a wink. Lily sighed, and settled in for a long, angry night at the bar.

Lily had left Paradiso around 11. She had consumed far to many 'on the house' drinks, and was now stumbling through downtown.

"I just want to dance." She heard herself mumble. She was very well aware that she was what the kids now-a-days like 'white-girl wasted'.

There was a small underrated bar she knew her new employer didn't own, so she slipped in for some late night, anonymous dancing. The bar was pretty well packed. That new catchy Rhianna song was playing. She slipped easily onto the dance floor.

It didn't take long for the boys to take notice. Blonde, alone, drunk beyond belief, and more importantly, alone. The boys came and went. No one kept Lily's attention very long. That was until there was a hard pull of her hand. Lily did not like it when boys got aggressive. She simply backed up, pressed her back against his chest, began to swing her hips in an appealing was. She took his hands and wrapped them around her waist. When she could feel that he was starting to enjoy this dancing, she elbowed him. She meant to hit his stomach, but he was taller than expected and Lily hit him right in the crotch.

"Lily what the hell?" Lily jumped whipped around. _Shit._

"Angel!" She gaped. "What are you….oh god, I'm sorry…I thought you were just some asshole, lemme get ice!" People were staring, girls were giving Angel a disgusted glare, thinking he was just some perv, and guys were either laughing, or giving him a sympathetic look. "Here, the couch." Lily pulled him over to one of the booths, a cup of ice in hand. "Put this there" She said, starting to apply it herself.

"Uh, I got it" Angel grabbed her wrist before she got to close, and took the ice out of her hand.

"Oh…right….I'm sorry!" She apologized again. She was kneeling next to him on the booth. Then, she stopped apologizing. "Wait a second. I'm NOT sorry. You're the one who is the liar, and…not crazy…and also why didn't you stop me from dancing with you?" She demanded, leaning over towards him. He backed up, a little intimidated.

"I didn't…I didnt know you were gonna this!" he said, pointing to the ice. "I came to say I was sorry…I didn't think you'd be so upset. I thought you'd be glad you didn't have to watch out for me…." Lily sat back on her legs. Her lip pouted, her eyes squinted at Angel, trying to decide if she believed him or not.

"You lied to me." She said simply.

"I'm sorry."

"I brought you blood."

"You did. I'm sorry."

"I bought you clothes."

"You did. I'm sorry."

"You were mean to me." Lily crossed her arms.

"I was."

"I elbowed you in your man parts."

"I'm sorry….oh, wait. Am I supposed to apologize for that too?" Lily was glaring at Angel, but she stopped.

"I'm exhausted. Can we just do that thing where I am mad and you walk me home anyways?" Angel smirked.

"As long as you don't hit me any more…or mind if I limp." They walked in silence. Angel watched as she walked up the stairs of her apartment. "Well…this has been awful. Goodnight."

"I bought an apartment with two bedrooms. One is for you. I'm not coming over to that disgusting rat hole anymore, now that I know there is no sentimental value. I'm still mad at you." She added. Angel laughed. She glared at him. "It's not funny." He was trying not to smile. "What?"

"You're trying to unlock the mailboxes." He said, pointing at her. She looked down and groaned. Angel came up next to her, took her keys, and unlocked her door. "I guess I'll come check out the room."


End file.
